I need advice for a new razor

Messages
3
Hi,

i have been using a dovo shavette and i wish to start shaving with something better and with feather (pro) blades. I've read a lot of interesting things on this forum so i decided to register here and ask you directly ( as well as on reddit ).

I would like to request your advice on which razor to get, i am looking at:

the feather artist club SS which i can get for 65 euros/55 pounds

the straight feather SS which some people say is easier to use under the nose,

and the feather RG.

I have also read on this very forum that the Kai Captain is similar to the artist club SS

I have large hands.

Those last 3 options are a bit too expensive for me for now but i could save up if it's worth it. I am in france atm but i can have a friend send me things from UK where i loved for a few years. if anyone knows a good place to get them cheap in france it would be great.

Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you very much.
 
Welcome to TSR @CurvedEdge.

As you have large hands the Feather SS non folding would be what I would buy but as you say there are cheaper clones on the market that should be easy enough to purchase wherever you live via the internet.
I think you will be very happy with the shave in comparison to your Dovo shavette. P.
 
Last edited:
The Korean CJB/Greager is the cheapest option, this is an RG/DX clone. The RG is no longer in production.
I have been using my DX lately, it feels better balanced than the Captain. Although it does feel heavy going ATG. The Captain is similar to the DX, there are no copies of the SS.

q7mA1EV.jpg
 
I have the SS, the DX, the CJB, Kai Captain, Kai Excelia, and I have a mix of fixed and folding.IMG_2788.JPG

My favourite, personally, is the Kai Captain folder (third from left). To me it handles most like a straight razor, the blade exposure is perfect for the Feather Pro Blade, although I would recommend starting with Pro guard blades. In comparison to the DX it has a more chamfered spine which allows you to shave more accurately under the noise and in front of the ears. Shavelounge sell it for £95, free postage within the UK. I don't know their postage to France. Surely a good time to buy from the UK given the current exchange rates?

The SS is an interesting razor. The lip allows you to shave more efficiently but it is a different shaving experience to a straight or a regular AC razor. I have big hands and the folding version does not handle well. It has odd jimping, which is wavey rather than grooved, and the handle is an odd shape for my hands. I find that I have to grip it between my fourth and little finger, so it doesn't handle like a regular straight razor. I prefer the fixed handle SS. Having said that I love shaving with the razor and it gives a unique and excellent shave. I have picked these up cheaply directly from Japanese sellers on Amazon for £30-£40, but have been stung by custom charges each time, which ended up double the cost nearly.

There are eBay sellers in the US selling the CJB. I am not enamoured with it.

The DX is an excellent razor also. With a Pro Guard blade it also handles like a real straight razor. The cheapest option I have seen for these are on hairdressing supply stores , which seem to offer them for 20%-25% less than the usual shaving shops.

My recommendations in order would be:

Kai Captain
Feather DX folding
Feather SS fixed

Yours and others mileage may vary.
 
Last edited:
The Korean CJB/Greager is the cheapest option, this is an RG/DX clone. The RG is no longer in production.
I have been using my DX lately, it feels better balanced than the Captain. Although it does feel heavy going ATG. The Captain is similar to the DX, there are no copies of the SS.

q7mA1EV.jpg

The fixed handle DX is better than the fixed handled Kai Captain? (Please enable me by saying yes)
 
I haven't shaved with the Captain yet :eek:. My comment was based on the handling and feel, one end is simply heavier than the other so there is no balance :oops: ...
It's a very good point.

Checking the balance on fixed handled razors the Kai Excelia and the Feather SS both have nicer balance than the Kai Captain fixed handle.

Given that I prefer shaving with these, and couldn't work out why, I bet you end up preferring the DX to the Kai. Would be interested in your experiences once you have taken it out a few times.
 
Welcome to TSR @CurvedEdge.

As you have large hands the Feather SS non folding would be what I would buy

thank you for your warm welcome and for the advice, much appreciated!

The Korean CJB/Greager is the cheapest option, this is an RG/DX clone. The RG is no longer in production.
I have been using my DX lately, it feels better balanced than the Captain. Although it does feel heavy going ATG. The Captain is similar to the DX, there are no copies of the SS.

q7mA1EV.jpg
You are exclusively posting ( great and useful ) pictures of the non folding ones, am i to understand that it is a personal preference of yours or is it your recommendation for larger hands?

I have the SS, the DX, the CJB, Kai Captain, Kai Excelia, and I have a mix of fixed and folding.View attachment 35275

[The Kai Captain] In comparison to the DX it has a more chamfered spine which allows you to shave more accurately under the noise and in front of the ears. Shavelounge sell it for £95, free postage within the UK. I don't know their postage to France. Surely a good time to buy from the UK given the current exchange rates?

The SS is an interesting razor. The lip allows you to shave more efficiently but it is a different shaving experience to a straight or a regular AC razor. I have big hands and the folding version does not handle well. It has odd jimping, which is wavey rather than grooved, and the handle is an odd shape for my hands. I find that I have to grip it between my fourth and little finger, so it doesn't handle like a regular straight razor. I prefer the fixed handle SS. Having said that I love shaving with the razor and it gives a unique and excellent shave. I have picked these up cheaply directly from Japanese sellers on Amazon for £30-£40, but have been stung by custom charges each time, which ended up double the cost nearly.

[...]
Thank you so much for taking the time to make such an elaborate answer and bringing up several interesting points, you have answered much of my curiosity/concerns. Concerning the "lip" on the SS, i like what i read that it allows for a closer shave by raising the hair a bit more, assuming that i would go for a non folding version do you personally find that this lip makes it harder to shave under the nose?

You prefer the kai captain folded to the SS fixed, even thought you say you have big hands. That's a very interesting point to me. Could you maybe elaborate on this?

yes i do Ben
Depending on the recommendations i might be interesting on buying it :)
 
thank you for your warm welcome and for the advice, much appreciated!


You are exclusively posting ( great and useful ) pictures of the non folding ones, am i to understand that it is a personal preference of yours or is it your recommendation for larger hands?


Thank you so much for taking the time to make such an elaborate answer and bringing up several interesting points, you have answered much of my curiosity/concerns. Concerning the "lip" on the SS, i like what i read that it allows for a closer shave by raising the hair a bit more, assuming that i would go for a non folding version do you personally find that this lip makes it harder to shave under the nose?

You prefer the kai captain folded to the SS fixed, even thought you say you have big hands. That's a very interesting point to me. Could you maybe elaborate on this?


Depending on the recommendations i might be interesting on buying it :)
For folding razors the jimps on the tang seem to be the most important thing to me, and the jimps on both the Captain and the DX are good. On the attached photo you can see that the jimps on the Kai (centre) run right up to the heal. The SS (green handle) doesn't even have real jimps and they don't provide great grip.

The fixed handle Kai has jimps, the SS does not. Both have rubberised handles so I don't find it a problem at all, and as Sabre points out the SS fixed handle has nice balance.

The lip on the SS works best at a low fairly flat angle so that the lip compresses the skin correctly. The mistake a lot of people make is to lift up the blade so that it clears the lip. There's even a well known instructional video that recommends this. This means that you aren't using the lip as intended and really you are scraping the hair not cutting it. The SS does not have much blade exposure intentionally. It actually works best with the most aggressive blade on the market the Feather Super Pro, which makes it easier to shave with a low angle, although I would not advise starting with that.

What I find with the fixed handle SS is that I can use it more efficiently than the folder because I can apply a lot of lateral pressure on the lip against the skin whilst keeping a light touch on the blade itself. The result of this is similar to riding the cap on a DE razor, or the rubber strip on a cartridge. This provides the most efficient shave I have found across all my razors - DE, shavette, or full straight. But it's not quite like using a real straight. "Riding the lip" as I like to call it, allows you to shave difficult spots and makes shaving against the grain more comfortable.

There are two approaches I use to shave under the nose - the coup de mâitre, and the kamisori / barber style shaving in from the side XTG. The SS works well for either. Both razors have chamfered spines and it's this more than anything that allows a neat coup de mâitre.
7966fe9c07065f3f326b8c6d0c69744e.jpg
ba6f6f3d82e5dd5cea02345dc91f8173.jpg
 
Thank you very much for all your responses, you have helped me decide for the non-folding feather SS. Thank you again for taking the time to answer my concerns better than i even expected. It is heartwarming to see people taking the time to help. Thanks again.
 
Back
Top Bottom